September 11 Digital Archive

Fracas about deportation of a Bangladeshi: INS forced to bring him back during asylum application

Title

Fracas about deportation of a Bangladeshi: INS forced to bring him back during asylum application

Source

born-digital

Media Type

article

Created by Author

yes

Described by Author

no

Date Entered

2002-08-16

VTMBH Article: Edition

31

VTMBH Article: Article Order

3

VTMBH Article: Title

Fracas about deportation of a Bangladeshi: INS forced to bring him back during asylum application

VTMBH Article: Author

VTMBH Article: Publication

Weekly Thikana

VTMBH Article: Original Language

Bangla

VTMBH Article: Translator

Moinuddin Naser

VTMBH Article: Section

briefs

VTMBH Article: Blurb

VTMBH Article: Keywords

VTMBH Article: Body

The INS was forced to bring back a deported Bangladeshi from Bangladesh after long battle surrounding the deportation.

Mohammed Arif Rashid is the Bangladeshi man who is at the focal point of this bubble. Arif Rashid, 26, resident of Gendaria of Dhaka, arrived at the Los Angeles airport with a British passport just 11 days before the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Because his passport seemed suspicious to one of the airport immigration officials, he was sent to Lancaster Immigration Jail. He applied for political asylum from the jail, but it was denied. He made an appeal, which was also rejected last April.

He then made an appeal for review of his case with the Ninth Circuit Court with the help of a family friend, Mehdi Hasan, who resides in Los Angeles. Mehdi Hasan told The Weekly Thikana that while different lawyers discouraged review of his case, attorney Garris Sarin gave him hope. Sarin was paid a four thousand dollar fee to handle this review petition.

Sarin submitted the review petition by the April 29 due date. But Rashid was suddenly deported to Bangladeshwhile his review petition was still under considerationas a consequence of the INSs sweeping deportations since September 11th. Rashid was deported on June 22.

Although Mehdi Hasan found out about Rashids pending deportation, he and Sarin, after many attempts, failed to stop the INS from deporting him. After that, Sarin sent a letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft challenging the decision of the deportation. The office of the attorney general asked the INS to show cause, but as the INS failed to give a good reply, the agency was asked to bring him back. As per instruction, the INS, on July 15, issued an order to bring him back and, accordingly, the INS arranged a first class one-way ticket at a cost of $1,952 on British Airways. But when Arif Rashid went to the U.S. consular office in Dhaka, with a copy of the order, the consulate officers started dilly-dallying in allowing him to re-enter the United States. According to Rashid, the consulate officers in Dhaka said this kind of incident had never happened in the consulates history.

At this stage, the attorney contacted the INS, and Mehdi Hasan sent more supporting documents including the ticket provided by the INS. After a phone call from the deportation office of the INS, Rashid was finally allowed to re-enter the United States on July 27. He arrived in Los Angeles on July 28. An immigration officer was waiting for him at Los Angeles airport. Upon his return, he was again taken to Lancaster Immigration Jail, where he is currently being held. Yet Sarin and Mehdi Hasan are hopeful about winning his release as soon as possible. His attorney believes that because he was wrongfully deported, he might get a verdict in his favor.

Immigration lawyers and other immigration related organizations think that the return of Rashid, which is against the normal behavior of the INS, was a very important incident. This case might set a precedent in other deportation cases.

VTMBH Article: Line Breaks

1

VTMBH Article: Date

2002-08-16

VTMBH Article: Thumb

VTMBH Article: Article File

VTMBH Article: Hit Count

109

Citation

“Fracas about deportation of a Bangladeshi: INS forced to bring him back during asylum application,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed November 22, 2024, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/1576.